By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter
How you respond to initial recruiter outreach sets the tone for the entire relationship. Most professionals either ignore recruiters entirely or respond with generic pleasantries that provide no useful information. Both approaches waste valuable relationship-building opportunities.
When a recruiter reaches out, they’re not just trying to fill a specific role—they’re evaluating whether you’re someone they want in their network for future opportunities. Your response tells them about your professionalism, communication skills, career focus, and collaborative approach.
Here’s what an ineffective response looks like:
“Thanks for reaching out. I’m not actively looking right now but would be interested in hearing about opportunities that might be a fit.”
This response is polite but useless. It doesn’t give the recruiter any information they can use to evaluate fit, and it doesn’t demonstrate that you understand the value of the relationship.
Here’s a strategic response that builds relationship value:
“Thank you for thinking of me for this opportunity. I’m currently focused on senior operations roles in the $150K-$180K range, ideally in manufacturing or logistics companies with 200+ employees. I’d be interested in learning more about the role—could you share the company, title, and general compensation parameters so I can better assess the fit? Even if this particular role isn’t aligned, I’d welcome the chance to connect and share my background for future opportunities.”
This response accomplishes several things:
- It provides clear parameters for your search criteria
- It requests specific information that helps you evaluate the opportunity
- It expresses interest in building a longer-term relationship
- It demonstrates professional communication skills
- It shows you understand how recruiting relationships work
I coached a client who transformed her recruiter relationships simply by changing how she responded to initial outreach. Instead of generic responses, she started providing specific information about her target roles, compensation expectations, and timeline flexibility. Within a few months, the quality of opportunities coming through her recruiter network increased dramatically, and she ultimately landed a role that was never posted publicly.
Ⓒ The Big Game Hunter, Inc., Asheville, NC 2025
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ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER
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